Four Houses
by SecondStarr
Summary: The four houses at Hogwarts cannot be simplified into one trait. The same could be said about Arthur and Alfred. All 16 combinations of houses. USUK. Pottertalia. Up next: Alfred was probably the only student at Hogwarts who hated Quidditch, so it was a miracle that he came to the game. It surely had nothing to do with the Gryffindor seeker. Ravenclaw x Gryffindor.
1. Gryffindor x Slytherin

**Hi guys! So for a long time, I've been thinking about coming back to writing and here I am. I've been super busy for the past year, but I doubt you want to hear anything of that.**

 **What really got me back to writing was when I began to watch the first Harry Potter movie and all I could think of is America and England. I began to wonder what it would be like if they were in different houses, not just Gryffindor and Slytherin. That made me want to write them in every combination of houses.**

 **So for my first story, I of course wrote them in my favorite combination: Gryffindor and Slytherin. If you have any ideas or combinations you would like to see next, feel free to tell me!**

 **America: Gryffindor first year**

 **England: Slytherin second year**

 **Canada: Hufflepuff first year**

 **Summary: Green and red are never supposed to mix, even if it is Christmas.**

 **Enjoy~!**

* * *

Christmas at Hogwarts was, for lack of a better word, magical.

For the entire month of December, Christmas-themed decorations were hung from around the castle. Everywhere from classrooms to common rooms had some sort of holiday themed decoration-whether they were enchanted or not. The entire Great Hall was, too, decked in every clashing shade of green and red to celebrate. Even the fake sky sprinkled little snowflakes to match the season. However, The most amazing part was the grand Christmas tree that stood tall and proud near the front of the hall. The tree was decked in a random assortment of ornaments and treats with an enormous gleaming star at the top. If all of that didn't get someone in the holiday mood, then absolutely nothing would.

And, it surely did get everyone ready for the holidays. In the spirit of the holidays, the professors were unusually cheery and went as far as rewarding extra house points for good behavior. In turn, students were also abnormally cheerful. All month, students were buzzing about holiday plans; everything from traveling to a country home in France to just going back home could be heard around the castle. Rarely anyone would actually spend Christmas at Hogwarts, save for the prefects and a few students who could not return. Most students would rather go home or to Hogsmede to celebrate the holiday season than ruin their holiday at boring old school.

However, staying at a boring old school for the holidays hardly stopped the Jones twins from celebrating. Unlike others who stayed, the Jones twins did not stay to study. Rather, the boys lived too far for two weeks to be worth the broom ride and had no family in the United Kingdom. No, the Jones boys would hardly have a terrible Christmas stuck at Hogwarts.

"Mattie! Come on! Wake up!" Alfred, the older of the two brothers, exclaimed. And while he was the older brother, Alfred was more excitable, especially when it came to Christmas. He couldn't wait to open presents and went as far as to sneak into his brother's room and wake him up. It was the most wonderful time of the year, after all; except maybe second to their birthday.

The younger of the two boys, however, didn't share his brother's holiday enthusiasm. He didn't particularly like waking up early, even with the promise of presents, and instead turned over in his sleep.

"Mm, Alfred?" Matthew mumbled, still partially asleep.

"Wake up it's Christmas!" Alfred exclaimed cheerfully. He plopped down on Matthew's bed, successfully shifting the weight of the bed. That surely woke his brother.

"Alfred? How did you get in here?" the other boy asked, rubbing his eyes. He was having a wonderful dream about becoming prefect and winning the House Cup. The absolute last thing he wanted was to be woken up by his loud brother. Christmas or not.

"Everyone knows the Hufflepuff password, Mattie! Duh! Something about being inclusive or something stupid. You know how Hufflepuff is. They never want to upset anyone 'cause they're so nice." Matthew groaned internally. Curse his house for being so nice. In the past, Hufflepuff would keep their dormitory secret, but apparently that went against the ideals of the Hufflepuff house. However, the passwords were supposed protect their privacy and, in Matthew's case, prevent Alfred from waking his up at who knows what hour.

"And what time is it?" Mattie asked. He suspected it was early, far too early to be awake. Dawn had yet to break and the moon was still high in the navy sky; it was definitely too early.

"Six something," Alfred said proudly, as if he wasn't fazed by the fact that it was far too early to be functional.

"Go back to sleep," Matthew groaned. He rolled over to his stomach in a feeble attempt to ignore his annoying brother. Matthew couldn't care less if it was Christmas; he was not a morning person in the slightest. He would often miss breakfast just to get a few more minutes of well-deserved rest.

Personality wise, the two twins were different as day and night. Alfred was a loud Gryffindor who always tried to do something heroic while Matthew was a reserved Hufflepuff who always tried to include everyone. Despite their personality difference, they looked extremely similar, at least close enough to fool their professors. They both shared the same golden blond hair and gray wired glasses. Sure there were a few subtleties - for instance, Matthew had a lighter shade of eyes and waiver than Alfred - but it surely wasn't obvious enough.

"No!" Alfred pouted. He turned his brother onto his back and began to tug on the gingham covers, allowing the cold December air to wake his brother.

"Stop annoying me! I want to sleep!"

"No, you've gotta come! Please Mattie! If you don't come I'll do something really bad! I'll take your presents," Alfred warned, tugging on his pajama sleeve. He knew if he kept nagging his brother, he would surely agree to whatever he said.

"Why won't you go alone? Is there a ghost or something you're afraid of?"

"N-No!" Alfred denied. Except for Matthew and his parents, nobody knew of Alfred's fear of ghosts. He was trying to conquer his fears with so many ghosts flying around Hogwarts constantly, but he still got scared whenever one of the ghosts were near. He couldn't help it that he feared anything he couldn't beat up! "I just wanted it to be like a normal Christmas. Like with mom and dad. Yeah, that's it. It has nothing to do with ghosts!"

Matthew let out a long breath. He supposed that he was already awake and that if he went down now, Alfred would leave him alone later. He really needed to study some transfiguration spells since he barely got a passing grade last semester.

"Fine," Matthew sighed in defeat. He couldn't win against his brother. He was too determined to win with those big blue eyes and pouty lips. No, it was impossible to say no, even if it did mean losing sleep. "But I'm going to get dressed, unlike you."

"But you have to go down to Christmas in your pajamas! It's a tradition," Alfred protested. Since classes weren't in session, students were allowed to wear whatever they pleased, and for Alfred, that consisted of his super hero pajamas.

"Don't make me change my mind," Matthew warned, although it lacked any real bite.

"Fine," Alfred exhaled dramatically.

"Now get out so I can go change! I'll be right behind you!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

From the Hufflepuff dorm to the Great Hall was a small walk. Hufflepuffs always did luck out with their location: they were the closest to the all of the classes, the Great Hall, and more importantly the kitchen. It's not that Alfred didn't like being high up in the tower, heavens no. But it was always a far walk to the Great Hall and all of his classes and he would always see so many ghosts.

During his entire first semester at Hogwarts, Alfred had never seen the Great Hall as empty as it was (albeit it was six in the morning but it would always have at least some students wondering about). Aside from Alfred, there was only one boy who appeared to be sleeping at the table on the far right.

"Hey dude! Did you fall asleep waiting for Santa?" Alfred asked, approaching the young boy.

The boy stirred a bit as Alfred got a better view. He seemed to be the same age as him. He had golden blond hair that was quite messy, but hardly unattractive. His face wasn't too bad looking either with a rather sharp nose and pink lips. However, his most unique feature was his thick, distinguished eyebrows that could've been mistaken for caterpillars. Alfred didn't recognize the student, he would surely recognize such ugly eyebrows, but that didn't stop him from approaching him.

"Ugh, must you be so loud?" the boy mumbled with a yawn.

"Well you were asleep waiting for Santa so I had to wake you. It's what heroes do!"

"I was not asleep and I was surely not waiting for Santa Claus. I'm not a child. Santa Claus isn't real, no offence. No, I was merely studying," the young boy protested, despite the fact that he had fallen asleep on top of his book. He was studying quite late and for a long period of time, but he didn't think he would actually fall asleep in the Great Hall.

"Studying over break? Wow, that's intense," Alfred admired with wide eyes. Breaks weren't for studying! Breaks were for having fun!

"Some of us actually care about studying and grades. And I have a reputation to uphold," he replied coldly while dusting off his large gray sweater absentmindedly.

"Sounds cool! What were you studying?" Alfred asked, as if he didn't notice the other boy's distaste for him.

"Magical creatures," he said proudly. Care for Magical Creatures was his favorite subject to learn about. He didn't like potions and charms to begin with seeing as he would always burn the potion or pronounce the charm wrong. But Care for Magical Creatures came naturally to him. He could spend days on end reading books about unicorns and fairies and pixies back at home. And, now, he finally had the chance to take care of such creatures. Nothing excited him more than actually taking care of a magical creature. It was surely a dream come true.

"Ugh, sounds boring! No wonder you fell asleep! I would too! I thought you'd be studying something cool like Defense Against the Dark Arts, not something as boring as Magical Creatures!"

"Magical creatures aren't boring!" he protested. Honestly, he could not fathom a reason why everyone claimed magical creatures were boring. If you asked him, he would say Defense Against the Dark Arts was boring. Honestly, he couldn't help it that he was tired and fell asleep, but not because it was boring. "And I wasn't sleeping."

"Whatever, you were totally sleeping 'cause Care for Magical Creatures is so boring!"

"No it's not!" Arthur shouted.

"Yes it is!"

"Alfred! There you are!" Matthew interrupted before the green-eyes blond could unleash his wrath. And surely he would, seeing that his face turned a deep shade of red and his fists ball up until his knuckles turned white. It was wonder he even controlled his infamous temper this much around the infuriating Gryffindor.

Matthew turned his attention from Alfred to the other student. "I apologize if my brother bothered you. He's not usually this..."

"-Obnoxious?" he answered for Matthew, still scowling at Alfred.

"I was going to say childish," Matthew corrected, smoothly.

"Mattie!" Alfred exclaimed and stuck out his tongue quite childishly in a feeble attempt to hide his blush. He was the older twin (by two minutes, mind you) and he wasn't going to let his little brother call him childish. Sure he was afraid of ghosts and anything that had to do with Halloween, but that was as childish as Matthew. If anything, his younger brother cried more than Alfred. Plus, he still had a white teddy bear that he slept with at night. If that wasn't childish, Alfred didn't know what was. "I'm not a child!"

"Are too!"

"Well it was nice to meet you Mattie and…I'm sorry I never got your name," the green-eyed blond interrupted.

"Alfred."

"Mhm yes," the green-eyed blond said. He noticeably calmed down - his face was no longer a deep shade of red - although there was still a bite to his words. "I'm Arthur, Arthur Kirkland, and I should be going back to my room for some rest. I guess I have been studying for far too long. I'm starting to get a headache. I guess I should thank you for waking me."

"Don't you want to get your Christmas presents!?"

"Presents?" Arthur shook his head remembering that it was, indeed, the holiday time. "Oh that's why you're here? For your presents?" He hadn't even thought about presents or even Christmas at all, not that his parents were going to send him presents anyways. He never saw Christmas as being such as big deal when growing up and he supposed it was a much bigger deal in the States than by him.

"Yeah! Presents are the best part of Christmas! Since I can't play my X-box here, I'm hoping I get a broom!" Alfred said excitedly with a large smile plastering his face. He has wanted and asked for a broom for three years now. He was completely smitten with the idea of flying (aside from in an airplane) ever since his first broom ride. However, his parents said he was still too irresponsible to have his own broom and that he would probably fly it into a tree. He was eleven years d and living on his own in a different country, he was surely responsible enough to have his own broom now.

"You can't have a broom," Arthur stated and rolled his eyes at Alfred's silly desire.

"And why not?" Alfred pouted and crossed his arms across his chest. Having waited so long for a broom, he wasn't about to let another person, especially someone as stuck-up and irritating as Arthur, tell him that he couldn't have a broom.

"First years aren't allowed brooms."

"Not fair!" Alfred pouted, puffing out his bottom lip. "How am I supposed to be a hero if I can't even fly? All the great super heroes fly!"

"Captain America doesn't fly," Matthew pointed out. "And he's your favorite."

"Mm that's true," Alfred agreed, still sulking. Although he was still sad about not being able to fly yet, knowing that his favorite super hero couldn't fly either made him just a bit happier.

"Well you don't need to fly to be a hero. You can even start now, and help me carry my books to my room. That's heroic," Arthur said, looking down at his pile of books. He had already scooped up two of his large books into his hands, but there were still five more stacked on the table. There was no way he could get them all to his room when he was so exhausted.

"If that makes me a hero, then I'll be your hero Artie! That's what Gryffindors do! They help those in need! Plus it's not that far! It's next to the library, right?"

"The library?" Arthur asked, furrowing his large eyebrows. Everyone knew the Slytherin common room was in the basement (or as Gryffindors called it: the dungeon), not near the library.

"Yup! Isn't that were Ravenclaw dorm is? That's what I've been told! It's not as close as Hufflepuff but it's definitely closer than Gryffindor-"

"Ravenclaw?" Arthur asked, interrupting Alfred's nonsense. Realization dawned on Arthur's green eyes. Alfred actually believed he was in Ravenclaw. Oh boy, was Alfred going to be in for a surprise.

"Well yeah! You were studying a lot! That's what Ravenclaw do, 'cause they're so smart! Like you! And they like boring stuff like Care for Magical Creatures. Ew. And I haven't ever seen you in my dorm or Mattie's. And you can't be in Slytherin-"

"And why not?" Arthur retorted and shifted his weight onto his right leg.

"Because Slytherin is evil!"

"We're not evil!" Sure it just so happened that a lot people who ended up being evil were in Slytherin, but that was merely a coincidence. Arthur couldn't help it that those who were determined to get what they wanted might not have always used the best methods. It simply wasn't fair to generalize an entire House based on a few people.

"No way! You're in Slytherin!? Ew!" Immediately, he dropped his stack of Arthur's books to the ground. Arthur stared in horror. He loved his books and to see them thrown on the ground with their spines bent and pages crumpled was absolutely devastating.

"Don't treat my books like that!" Arthur scolded and scurried to grab his books from the floor. He could only hope that the books did not get any damages, for Alfred's sake, that is. So much for getting someone else to carry his books.

"And yes, I am a Slytherin," Arthur stated proudly as he stood up, and even puffed out his chest a bit. "I can't believe you're dimwitted enough to think I'm in Ravenclaw."

"I'm not dim witted! You tricked me, you snake! You were studying. That's such a Ravenclaw thing! Only Ravenclaws would ruin their break by studying so I just assumed..."

"Well you should stop assuming these things," Arthur chastised wobbling a bit as he tried to balance his books. "The houses are hardly one trait. You can be smart and be in Slytherin. Being in Slytherin means you're determined, and cunning, not evil."

"Then why are all the evil guys in Slytherin? Huh? Answer that!"

"There are many evil people in the other houses! Take Wormtail, he was from Gryffindor."

"That's only one person. We have lots of heroes like Dumbledore and Harry Potter and all those people!"

"Only because Gryffindors are loud and obnoxious and steal the spotlight," Arthur sneered. "You forget that great wizards like Merlin were actually in Slytherin because Gryffindor loves to forget about that."

"And Hengist of Woodcroft was a Hufflepuff," Matthew said, although that went unnoticed.

"Yeah well that was a thousand years ago," Alfred scoffed.

"That's such a Gryffindor thing to say. Honestly! And you call yourselves heroes," Arthur retorted. He didn't particularly like Gryffindors to begin with as they were too loud for his liking, and it proved even more evident with Alfred.

"Anything a Gryffindor does is heroic!"

"Putting others down for your own personal gain is hardly heroic! I'd even say it's quite villainous," Arthur worded carefully. He knew that this would rile up the Gryffindor boy, and for some reason, he felt like he needed to antagonize the little so-called hero. Someone had to.

"I'm not a villain, you are!"

Arthur laughed at this. "Well, if you ever need a villain to talk some sense into you, you know where to find me," Arthur said, turning on his heel.

"Well if you ever need a super heroic hero to fix that hex on your ugly eyebrows, you know where to find me. But I should warn you, the hero always wins."

 **To be continued...?**


	2. Hufflepuff x Ravenclaw

**I'm so surprised I was able to get this out in 2 and a half weeks. I'm ashamed to say that's a record for me nowadays (I can't believe I used to update twice a week...).**

 **Last chapter wasn't romantic at all and I wanted to try something more lovey dovey kind of writing.**

 **It's much shorter than the previous chapter but I'm not really good at writing fluff as I am writing fights. If anyone wants to give me tips, I'll be forever grateful! [And the ending kinda sucks].**

 **EDIT: I changed some of the bad grammar and stuff so I hope it is better now.**

 **So I got a request to write Alfred as a Hufflepuff! I really love him as a Hufflepuff. And what a better relationship than a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw? I really love Arthur as a Ravenclaw because he is pretentious and cocky, which are some of the bad traits associated with Ravenclaw. (Honestly, I think he makes a better Ravenclaw than Slytherin).**

 **If there is any pairing you want to see, feel free to tell me!**

 **America: Hufflepuff fifth year**

 **England: Ravenclaw fifth year**

 **Summary: Arthur is jealous that Alfred can create a patronus charm when he can't. He has to have a secret. There is no way a Hufflepuff could be better than a Ravenclaw at anything.**

 **Enjoy~!**

* * *

Arthur hated his Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Scratch that. Arthur despised his Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Of course, he had absolutely nothing against the professor or even the material. No, it certainly wasn't anything academic. It was just that he couldn't understand why he had to take a class he simply wasn't good in. It was a waste of time, in Arthur's opinion, especially after the Second Wizard War. If it were up to Arthur, he would only take classes in divination. The Ravenclaw boy just couldn't wait for next year so he could choose all of his classes. Then he would never take Defense Against the Dark Arts ever again.

The only thing that did get him through Defense Against the Dark Arts was Alfred. Alfred F. Jones was Arthur's best friend at Hogwarts. The two were practically inseparable, despite how different they were. Arthur was a high strung, overachieving Ravenclaw while Alfred was an energetic, loud-mouthed Hufflepuff. But, despite their flaws, they were best friends through and through. Arthur would always help Alfred pass his classes while Alfred would provide emotional support for Arthur.

However, even Alfred couldn't cheer him up after Defense Against the Dark Arts today.

"How did I know you would come find me?" Arthur asked without even turning around. He knew Alfred had found him, curled up in a corner in the room of requirement. He would always come here before exams or whenever he was stressed. It was no wonder that he didn't find him here sooner. Alfred always fretted too much about his friends, especially Arthur.

"Arthur, what's wrong?" Alfred asked sympathetically approaching his friend. Arthur was a rather short boy, but he was strong willed and sharp tongued. However, there was no sign of that boy here. Instead, his blond hair was untidier than usual and his usually fair skin was blotchy and red, obvious signs that he had been crying. He seemed almost weak and helpless. "You weren't at lunch and you're acting all weird."

"Have not!" Arthur protested immaturely. Despite his protests, his voice any real bite and was quite shaky.

Alfred put his hands on his hips and raised one of his eyebrows knowingly.

Arthur let out a long breath of air. "Fine. I'm just upset. Now will you leave me alone?"

"I can't leave until you're happy," Alfred answered stubbornly. It was against his nature to have anyone remain unhappy. He was a Hufflepuff after all, and that's what Hufflepuffs do.

"Well that's the problem, you see."

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked, cocking his head slightly almost clueless of the situation.

Arthur sighed. He knew Alfred was too stubborn to let this go. He surely wouldn't leave Arthur alone until he got an answer, like always. Sometimes, he hated how much Alfred meddled in his life, even if it was for his own good.

"Will you promise not to tell anyone?" Arthur asked in a low voice. He couldn't imagine what would happen if anyone else knew. He could lose his reputation, or worse, his prefect badge

"Scout's honor." To seal the deal, Alfred drew an 'X' over his heart with his index finger.

"Well we were learning patronus charms in class. And, well, everyone else seemed to get the hang of it. And well...I just...I just can't do it!" Arthur shouted, running his fingers through his flaxen hair. He was the best student in his class yet couldn't create what he deemed to be a simple spell. He could make charms twice as powerful - he could even perform wand-less magic - yet could not create a patronus.

"Hey, it's alright," Alfred reminded his friend. He began to wrap his arms around the shorter boy in a hug. He knew his strong hugs always cheered anyone up. "Patronus charms are hard. Not everyone gets it on their first try."

"You did!" Arthur shouted, trying to unlock himself from Alfred's strong grasp. He couldn't believe that Alfred, of all people, could be so dense as to say something like that. "Just tell me your secret."

"Whoa, calm down, dude. No need to get worked up over this," Alfred assured him. His grip around the boy tightened, even if it seemed to only enrage the boy further. He knew as much as Arthur denied that he liked to be hugged or even touched at all, he really needed to be. "If you want to know my secret, well...I just thought of my happiest memories and it just...happened."

"That's a lie," Arthur seethed, scowling at his friend. "You've been practicing or something. There's no way you could have created a patronus so easily! There must be a trick! That can't be it! You said yourself that it's a hard spell! A spell of that's level can't be that easy!"

"Nope. I just listened to the Professor. Happy memories really work," Alfred said with a bright smile, his blue eyes crinkling a bit at the edges. Arthur hated just how happy Alfred always seemed to be. No wonder that a spell that required happiness came easily to the Hufflepuff prefect.

"Then why don't you show me?" Arthur antagonized, crossing his arms over his slender chest. He wanted to see for himself that Alfred's luck with the patronus charm was just that: luck. It was absolutely impossible that Alfred could perform the charm without a cheat or potion. He wasn't exactly the smartest boy in their class.

"Okay. Stand back. I wouldn't want to hurt you."

Arthur cautiously took a few steps back. He knew Alfred wasn't very good at spells (his true talent lied in astronomy and muggle studies) and was, frankly, scared earlier was all a fluke and something would go wrong.

Alfred, however, seemed unfazed by Arthur's attitude and stood at the center of the chamber. He held his wand straight out in front of him and closed his eyes.

"Expecto patronum."

As soon as the words left his lips, a wave of blue energy erupted from the tip of his long wand. In seconds, the blue light transformed into a large eagle which soar around the room. As cliché as it sounded, it truly was magical. However, as quickly as it was conjured, it quickly vanished into a miasma of blue smoke.

Alfred turned around. "Now it's your turn."

Arthur nodded, still in awe over Alfred's display. If Alfred, an average student, could perform a patronus charm, then by Merlin the best damn student in the class could surely perform it.

Arthur stood his ground in the center of the room, holding his wand straight in front of him.

"Expecto patronum!"

Unlike the spectacle that emitted from Alfred's wand, Arthur could not even conjure a single blue spark.

"Why isn't it working?" Arthur asked, quite irritated. The Ravenclaw prefect had never had any difficulties performing spells, even as a first year. So why it that the patronus charm was eluded him so much?

"It's a very hard spell, Arthur. Don't work yourself up over it. Many great wizards can't create the spell."

"Oh shut up, Alfred. You're not helping by bloody showing off!"

"Hey," Alfred defended, holding his hands up in a surrender. "You're the one who asked me."

"I was just making sure that you could actually create the spell. I didn't think you actually would. I thought there must be a secret."

"The secret is that you have the think of a very happy memory!" Alfred insisted. "What are you thinking of?"

"...getting Os on my tests," Arthur blurted, although he wasn't exactly thinking of anything aside from making the spell work. He couldn't let Alfred knew just how utterly jealous (no, not jealous, he was certainly not jealous of Alfred) he was that Alfred could create the spell that he couldn't. Arthur was supposed to help Alfred with spells, not the other way around.

"Artie," the Hufflepuff whined quite childishly. "That isn't happy enough!"

"Then what is, oh master of patronus charms?" Arthur retorted quite bitterly. He couldn't understand how a Hufflepuff could be better than a Ravenclaw at anything other than kindness, let alone patronus charms.

Alfred shrugged. "Well...I always think back to when I learned I was a wizard and went to Hogwarts! Hogwarts is so great! I met such nice people like you, Feliciano, Kiku, Im Yong Soon-"

"Don't you have any other memories?" Arthur interrupted, his eyebrows furrowing. It was a known fact that Arthur barely had any friends aside from Alfred. And to have his only friend basically add salt to the wound didn't make it much better.

"What about performing your first spell? Or opening presents on Christmas? Or flying?"

"Those are hardly good enough memories." Arthur sat on the cold ground and brought his knees up to his chest like before. "I guess I don't have happy memories."

"That can't be true."

"Well it is," Arthur decided stubbornly.

"How about I make happy memories for you?"

"You can do that?" Arthur asked, his green eyes lighting up hopefully. "Is there some sort of potion? I should've thought of that before! I'm so foolish! Is that how you could make the-"

"No, Art, we don't need a potion," he said chuckling a bit at his friend's logical way of thinking. "We can go to Hogsmede and just act like kids, like we did in our third year. We can eat lots of candy and drink all the tea you want! And then we can go wonder around Hogwarts or even-"

Arthur snorted at Alfred's silly idea. "I hardly see how that will work."

"It's worth a shot, Artie. You want to create a patronus, right?" Alfred asked with a smirk. He knew he had Arthur exactly where he wanted. The green-eyes blond was hardly good at hiding his emotions.

"Well yeah..."

"Great! Then I'll see you tomorrow after dinner in the astronomy tower! Don't be late!"

* * *

"Come on, Art! You're so slow!" Alfred called over his shoulder rushing up the stairs two at a time to the astronomy tower.

"Alfred, you're going to get us in trouble," Arthur huffed in tow. He would never do the wrong thing - as a Ravenclaw it was against his nature - so running around past curfew felt wrong. Ravenclaws were supposed to follow the rules, not break them.

Alfred smirked, slowing down to Arthur's pace. "But what's the fun without a little risk?"

"I thought eating those stupid every flavor beans was enough risk for you." For some unholy reason, Alfred loved those every flavor beans, and would always make Arthur eat at least one whenever he bought a pack at Hogsmede. Alfred would always jokingly claim that Arthur had a curse since he always got nasty beans. Quite frankly, Arthur found it disgusting.

"Nah, Artie, that was just so I could eat some more candy! Now this will actually be fun!"

"I would hardly call running around Hogwarts trying not to get caught fun. They could take my prefect badge away!"

"They won't. Trust me, I've done this before!"

Arthur shook his head. "You're a horrible prefect, you know. Running around Hogwarts at night? If anything, headmaster should get rid of your badge before mine."

"Don't worry we won't be running for much longer," Alfred assured the shorter boy.

"Where are we going? The roof? This is hardly safe."

"Stop being a worry wart, Art," Alfred joked, stopping before a wooden door. He took out a small pin in which he twiddled the lock with. In seconds, the door opened to a landing on the roof. It was quite a small landing, leaving only a bit of room for Alfred and Arthur to stand without touching each other.

"Are you kidding me?" Arthur asked, regaining his breath. He knew Alfred's idea must be ridiculous - why else would he invite him to the astronomy tower after hours - but this was surely on another level of ridiculous.

"Nope! It'll totally lighten you up!" Alfred exclaimed, his breath fogging up a bit. The night was already quite cold, even if the sun had just set a mere hour ago.

Arthur raised a thick eyebrow and buried himself further into his blue scarf. "Flying at night? We could get caught, among other things!"

"Come on, it's super fun! We're just going to the top of the roof. No one checks up there anyways. And it'll totally be a happy memory."

"That is if I make it alive," Arthur muttered under his breath. He watched as Alfred mounted his broom and held out a hand to Arthur. Against all of his instincts telling him to go back inside, forget all of this nonsense, and maybe brew a potion, Arthur took Alfred's hand and mounted the broom.

"I won't hurt you! I've done this tons of times! It's only a short broom ride to the top!"

"This is hardly-"

"That's the spirit!" Alfred exclaimed with a cheeky smile. "Hang on to me!"

Without much more of a warning, Alfred kicked off from the ground. Instinctively, Arthur grabbed onto the back of Alfred's robes tightly. He never did like flying, but knowing that Alfred was there with him was a bit more comforting.

"Come on, you can't tell me you're not happy."

"I'd be happier if I was back in my dorm reading a book," Arthur sneered although it was a blatant lie. The view truly was amazing. He had never seen the grounds of Hogwarts look so peaceful. Arthur never really liked heights to begin with - it would always give him a headache - but that could change if he had views like this.

"Here we are," Alfred exclaimed, landing the broom at another small landing on the top of the tower.

"It really is a beautiful view," Arthur admitted, softening up from his original stance on this nonsense.

"More beautiful with you."

Arthur slapped him playfully but his cheeks turned a bright shade of pink nonetheless. "Don't say such things." He paused before adding hastily, "I'm hardly beautiful."

"I mean it." Alfred stated. He looked down at the grounds below, smiling to himself. "You know, I never did tell you my secret to making a patronus."

Arthur's face lit up. He knew Alfred, of all people, had to have a secret. There had to be some sort of potion - Arthur assumed it was the wit enhancing potion; - he must have taken before class. There was no way someone as oblivious as Alfred could understand how to make a patrons before the smartest student in Ravenclaw could even make a spark. "I knew you had a secret! Pray tell."

"Well...this might sound stupid...and don't get mad at me because I'm being honest here and you want honesty, but I think of you."

Arthur's mouth went dry. That wasn't what he expected at all. "Alfred..."

"Yeah, well, you really do make me happy," Alfred explained, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Arthur blinked twice, unable to respond. How could he?

"I don't know what it is about you, but you just have this effect on me. With your cute little smile and the way your eyebrows crumple up when you're really focused or reading something good. And your accent that you swear is northern English from Manchester, not "British" because you would never want to be associated with Scotland and-well what I mean to say is that you're what makes me happier than anything. I just want you to be as happy as you make me. When I saw you upset about the patronus charm, I knew I could actually help you with something. So I wanted to create the perfect moment for you. I've known about this place for a long time and I knew that you'd love it. I know that you hate flying so I kept trying to think of things that made you happy. I wanted it to be perfect so then I kept thinking the library-"

"Alfred, this is perfect. You're perfect." Arthur averted his gaze to his long fingers which were nervously playing with his black robe. Very softly, he added "you don't deserve someone who can't make a patronus."

"Are you kidding? I don't care about that!" Instinctively, Arthur smiled at Alfred's comment. "If anyone's perfect it's you and your O average."

"Um...thanks, I guess. So..." he said awkwardly drawing out the 'O'. "Does this mean we're, you know, dating?"

"I've just assumed we were dating," Alfred said tangling his fingers into Arthur's. "I mean it's no secret that you like me."

Arthur playfully pushed him. "Oh sod off."

The Hufflepuff boy laughed. "I don't know what that means but I have another secret for you."

"Oh really?"

"Well to make this the happiest memory ever, I have to give you a kiss. Is that okay? I mean, can I kiss you? Is that appropriate? We've kind of been on dates before and-"

"Of course, love."

Alfred leaned in and pressed his lips against Arthur's for a brief second. His pink lips were thin and soft, albeit slightly chapped.

"For some reason, I can't help but wonder if you've been trying to get into my pants this whole time," Arthur breathed out as the two broke away.

"Don't tell me an all mighty Ravenclaw couldn't figure it out," Alfred said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Mm, don't ruin the moment," Arthur hummed. "This is supposed to be a happy memory."

"See! I knew I could make you happy memories!"

Arthur supposed he was right. They were sure to make more happy memories in the future; no potion, cheat, or secret needed.

 **To be continued...?**


	3. Ravenclaw x Gryffindor

**Thanks so much for all of your support for these one-shots! I really love writing them so I'm so glad you all love reading them!**

 **EDIT: I've got one of my friends to BETA for me and she gave me some tips and stuff so I hope you like it! I never realized how many grammar problems there were. Also, she suggested I change the name back because she thought it didn't quite fit. I kinda agree. I'm taking suggestions for a new title name still.**

 **So this one is actually quite long, comparatively. When I was writing it, I thought it was going to be 2,000 at most but I ended up writing a lot. I really wanted to show a friendship between Alfred and Elizaveta because I think they would be great friends! (And of course, a 'romance' between Arthur and Alfred). However, I can't really find a good ending or summary so this will have to do for now.**

 **I never ever see fics where Alfred is a Ravenclaw and Arthur is a Gryffindor. I really love Alfred as a pretentious Ravenclaw and Arthur as an overconfident Gryffindor. I hope you like it too! I really love Alfred and Arthur as any Hogwarts House, to be honest.**

 **If you have an suggestions, feel free to tell me.**

 **America: Ravenclaw seventh year**

 **England: Gryffindor seventh year**

 **Summary: Alfred was probably the only student at Hogwarts who hated Quidditch, so it was a miracle that he came to the game. It surely had nothing to do with the Gryffindor seeker.**

 **Enjoy~!**

* * *

Alfred Jones was probably the only student in Hogwarts that didn't like Quidditch.

Well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but still, he was in the very small minority that didn't like Quidditch.

As a child, however, Alfred loved Quidditch. He loved magic and sports, so a combination of the two was basically a dream for him. Alfred imagined being the world's best player, like every young wizard, and even forced his muggle brother to play Quidditch with him (it was as much of a fail as it sounded).

It wasn't until Alfred came to Hogwarts that he began to hate Quidditch. He just couldn't understand why everyone in the school was so enthralled in the dumb sport. The matches were always too long and boring and he found it hard to keep track of so many variables while watching. There were the chasers and the keepers and the beaters and the seekers plus all the balls flying everywhere. It gave Alfred a headache just thinking about it.

Besides, there were more important things in life than Quidditch, but it didn't seem like anyone at Hogwarts appreciated a well-made potion, aside from the professors. If it didn't have to do with the Quidditch Cup, nobody seemed to care.

So when Elizaveta invited him to watch the Ravenclaw against Gryffindor match, it was a miracle Alfred said yes.

He couldn't think of a reason why he actually said yes, he assumed that Elizaveta might have put a spell on him. Elizaveta was always playing with his emotions, so this instance shouldn't have been any different. In the end, Alfred claimed that he needed a break from his studies. Yes, he told himself, only a break from your studies. His mother always told him that he studied too much for his own good and needed more breaks. It surely had nothing to do with the captain of the Gryffindor team.

"I'm glad you decided to come!" Elizaveta said with a bright smile. "I haven't seen you around basically since Christmas break! You've been so boring lately with all the studying!"

Elizaveta was one of Alfred's good friends at Hogwarts. The two had met when an upper classman took Alfred's potion book and Elizaveta stepped in and kicked the bully's ass and we're friends ever since.

"I'm not staying for long though. I have an advanced astronomy assignment that I need to finish. Plus, it's freezing out here!" he exclaimed and snuggled into his blue scarf for emphasis. Even though he had been in Hogwarts for seven years, he couldn't get used to the cold. It was already March and it was barely above freezing. Alfred couldn't wait until he could go back home to Texas where it was warm all year round. No, he wouldn't miss the cold weather in the UK at all.

"See! You're no fun at all!" Elizaveta pouted, her bottom lip pursed outward. Her green eyes focused on her legs that swung back and forth. "Where's the Alfred I know?"

"Piled under a shit ton of work!"

"Come on, you've got to stop studying at some point! You're not a robot!"

"It's hard not to with the NEWTs coming up. My parents want me to work with the ministry and I could hardly do that with bad grades. I've got to keep up my family name, you know." Alfred's patents dreamed of their son working for the ministry ever since they found out he was a wizard. They always wanted what was best for their only magical son, even if it was a bit extreme.

"But there's no need to study every second!" the Ravenclaw girl exclaimed waving her hands in the air for emphasis. "You're already the smartest guy in the school!"

"Well thanks." Alfred blushed humbly. He would hardly call himself the smartest student in the school. Alfred had a natural talent, especially for potions, and therefore did extremely well in his studies. He did get one A in a charms class in one of his classes but he would swear it was because the professor absolutely despised him because he was always drawing during class. "But it's really all the studying I do."

"You're beginning to sound like Roderich," Elizaveta said with a groan.

"What? The piano guy you're dating?"

"Dated," she corrected, her hands twisting the long fabric on her robes. It wasn't exactly a secret that Elizaveta had dated the piano playing Austrian. She would go on and on about how wonderful it was that Roderich had wrote another piece of music or baked another fine pastry or took her on some fancy date. Frankly, Alfred found him stuck up and pretentious. He much preferred when Elizaveta with Gilbert. At least Gilbert didn't scold him for not having his robes tucked in or having his elbows on the table at supper.

"Right, I forgot. The head boy isn't good enough for you. You're dating the Ravenclaw keeper again. Gil is it?" Alfred teased. Gilbert was one of Alfred's good friends as well as, if only for Elizaveta. Elizaveta and Gilbert were childhood friends yet fought more than cats and dogs, although Alfred would always tease that it was merely sexual tension, much to Elizaveta's displeasure.

"No! I'm not dating Gil! He's not my type! He's too loud! Besides, we're just friends!" Elizaveta protested, although her cheeks burned a bright red. She really did like the light haired German as more than friends, but like hell she would let Alfred know that; she wouldn't hear the end of it. "Although I wouldn't be talking! I'm not the only one attracted to Quidditch players! You're all over the Gryffindor seeker."

"Pfft no? I'm only here to study flying techniques," Alfred lied slightly. He was going to studying flying techniques, and watching Arthur's movements was one way to accomplish that. But Elizaveta didn't need to know that.

"Mmm sure. Flying techniques," Elizaveta replied with a roll of her green eyes. Elizaveta claimed she was an expert on relationships. She knew everyone who was dating in the school and called it her 'sixth sense' (although Alfred quickly found out she had been using some form of divination). It didn't help that Alfred basically wore his heart on his sleeve.

"What!?"

"Oh nothing," she hummed to herself.

No, it was purely for his studies. That's what he would tell himself. The way the captain flew, he was surely only fixated because of his perfect movements. It couldn't be his golden blond hair or forest green eyes.

It definitely wasn't because he was attracted to him or anything.

Somehow over the years, he grew fond of the Gryffindor seeker. He assumed someone as heroic and brave as Arthur wouldn't appreciate anything other than Quidditch games, like most Gryffindors. But Alfred knew that Arthur had a secret passion for magical creatures, not that Alfred was stalking him or anything.

"And what do you need to study flying techniques for?" Elizaveta asked, breaking Alfred from his trance.

"Uhhh..." Alfred stumbled to find the right words. "I want to try out for Quidditch next term."

"No you don't. You hate Quidditch more than I hate dresses. Come on, we all know why you're really here."

"You caught me!" Alfred said and raised his hands in mocked surrender. "I'm taking an extra NEWT in Hogwarts history! You know, gotta learn everything about Quidditch and flying! They might test me on Quidditch so I have to learn everything!"

"Come on, Al," Elizaveta groaned and slapped his arm playfully. "I know you like Arthur."

"I do not!" Alfred denied, a red blush grazing his cheeks. Maybe he did like the Gryffindor seeker. So what? Lots of people liked Arthur. Who wouldn't like a popular, athletic Gryffindor?

Besides, Arthur would never notice him anyways with his posy of annoying Quidditch players that only liked him because he was their star player. They didn't know that he was fascinated my magical creatures - unicorns to be specific - or enjoyed a cup of earl grey with one teaspoon of milk. All they knew was that he was the best seeker, as if nothing else matters but being the best at Quidditch.

"The whole school knows you like Arthur! You may as well be dating! It's kinda adorable! It doesn't take a Ravenclaw to see that."

"Oh shut it." Alfred pushed his friend playfully. "I don't even know him!"

Elizaveta smirked. "So you do like him."

"I'm ignoring you."

Alfred turned his attention back to the game. Gryffindor was already winning by fifty points, even though it was no surprise. Ravenclaw never exactly had a good Quidditch team to begin with, mostly because they hardly cared about sports - everyone claimed studies were far more important. Not to mention that for the past three years, Gryffindor had dominated the Quidditch pitch. The team had the best beaters and chasers and more importantly, the best seeker.

The red seeker's movements were fluid and precise, like painting a beautiful landscape with his broom. Even Alfred, who absolutely despised Quidditch (or at least, told himself he hated Quidditch), could appreciate how smoothly he flew around the field. From the stands, Alfred could tell he was scoping the field for the snitch.

Alfred turned to a clean sheet in his journal and began to scribble down notes on the margin of his good parchment. Of course, this was nothing like the notes he would take in class. His words were more poetic when describing Arthur. His precise movements and perfect tactics made it all too easy, nonetheless.

"Did you see that, Al!?" she shouted, breaking Alfred's concentration. He looked up for a moment at the game and noticed the referee had called a foul. "They totally hit Gil! That was totally unfair! The refs are totally cheating for Gryffindor!"

"Mmm sure," Alfred agreed chewing on his pencil.

"Stop focusing your erotic writings of Arthur and actually watch the game."

"They're not erotic!" Alfred protested, slamming the book before shut before Elizaveta could peak at his work. Okay maybe flying on a broomstick was inherently erotic, but Alfred couldn't help that. But he definitely didn't write him in erotic positions on purpose! Next time, he swore he would use invisible ink.

"Is that why you're drooling?"

Alfred quickly wiped away the drool that welled at the corner of his lips with the sleeve of his black robes. "Am not! It's saliva from the pencil."

The brown haired Ravenclaw rolled her eyes. "Just watch the stupid game. You're here for a break, remember?"

"A break that has lasted too long!" Alfred exclaimed. He knew he shouldn't have come to this utter waste of time, even if he did get a glimpse at Arthur. He needed to study for his NEWTs and frankly his writings of Arthur were hardly going to get him a good job in the future.

"You've been here for ten minutes!"

"That's long enough! I can't take away any more time from my studies. I have to get more information about Quidditch, but maybe this isn't the best way."

"If you want so much 'information' about Quidditch and flying or whatever, why don't you ask Arthur? He probably has a lot of tips for you," she suggested with a sly grin.

"I can't ask Arthur Kirkland! He's practically famous! He was already recruited by two professional Quidditch teams!"

"You can show him your writings! It's totally romantic!"

"I told you I don't like him! I'm not talking to Arthur and that's final!"

"But it's for your studies. You wouldn't want to disappoint your parents."

Alfred scowled. He knew Elizaveta always knew exactly how to manipulate him to do what she wants. "Fine! I'll talk to him!" But he would only talk to him to get Elizaveta to stop bothering him, or at least that's what he told himself. It absolutely had nothing to do with his feelings towards Arthur.

* * *

Alfred felt extremely out of place in the Gryffindor tent. Not only did Ravenclaw lose the game (although it was no surprise), Alfred despised how absolutely arrogant Gryffindors could be, especially after victory. But what would a Gryffindor celebration be without a party?

And there Alfred was, standing awkwardly amongst the midst of gold and red. The tent positively bursting with excitement. Assortments of food and alcohol was scattered amongst obnoxiously bright red and gold decorations. The large crowd of students was bustling around in an attempt to congratulate the players on a good game. At the center of it all was Arthur Kirkland: the one who had won the game.

Up close, Arthur was rather attractive - even Alfred could admit that. His hair was a beautiful golden shade, albeit a bit messy, that fell around his pale face. His features were well defined with bright green eyes and thick eyebrows. His body, however, had the perfect build for a seeker: rather small stature but with light muscles around his calves and biceps.

"Oh hi, Mr. Kirkland," Alfred mumbled as he approached the seeker. He mentally kicked himself for being so awkward. He couldn't explain why he always tripped over his words around Arthur.

"Please call me Arthur. And you are Alfred, Alfred Jones, no?" Arthur asked, his words slurring together. Alfred could tell he had a bit to drink already, seeing all of the alcohol present. Not to mention Arthur wasn't exactly that large, standing about a head shorter than Alfred.

"Um yeah, that's me." Instinctively, Alfred began to scratch the hair on the back of his neck awkwardly. He couldn't believe Arthur actually knew his name. Sure, they've been in some of the same classes together for the past seven years, but it was a miracle that someone as heroic as Arthur knew someone as boring as Alfred. "I'm really glad to meet you." Alfred held out his hand for Arthur to shake.

Arthur swatted his hand away and chuckled. Alfred had to admit it was rather cute, even though he most certainly did not find Arthur in general to be cute. Just his laugh. "Oh I know you. You've in my classes for the past seven years. Always getting good grades and making everyone else look bad. They call you the smartest student in the school, you know?"

Alfred arched an eyebrow. "Do they?" he asked with fake innocence.

"Of course, Mr. Outstanding in every class. And what would the smartest kid in the school be doing here?" He gestured to the Gryffindor tent with his half empty wine glass. True this wasn't exactly a scene he was used to - Alfred much preferred the library with Kiku - but he couldn't tell Arthur it was to gather information. "To meet me? Would you like an autograph or a photograph?"

"Well...not really-"

"I wouldn't expect you to even leave the library let alone come to a Gryffindor after party," Arthur sneered rudely. "Did you come from the free alcohol?"

Alfred blinked twice. "Not exactly."

"Then why is the most perfect student in all of Hogwarts gracing me with his presence?" He shifted his weight onto his left leg, anxiously waiting for an answer.

"I...I just came to congratulate you," Alfred sputtered an obvious lie. He didn't exactly want Arthur to know that he had come to basically crash his party in order to get notes about Quidditch, or ask him on a date like Elizaveta had wanted him to. He surely couldn't say that.

"Mm, I guess you're disappointed that our team won, then," Arthur pointed out, his finger absentmindedly tracing the rim of the glass. For someone who has just won a game, he didn't exactly sound all that happy.

"Not really. You're an amazing player. Ravenclaw is no match for you...and your team," he quickly added, mentally kicking himself for slipping up. He couldn't let Arthur know that he liked him.

"Thanks, although you would hardly know," he snorted, rather rudely, his green eyes still focused on the wine instead of Alfred. "You weren't even watching."

"I'm sorry," Alfred apologized sheepishly. He couldn't believe Arthur caught him, of all the people who came to the game. There had to be hundreds of people in the stands, yet somehow Arthur was able to focus on him. "You know with the NEWTs coming up-"

"How absolutely Ravenclaw of you," Arthur sneered with a roll of his round eyes. "So...what were you studying?"

"Oh nothing really," the Ravenclaw student scoffed.

"Come on, I saw you. Didn't even look up from that petty book, even your girlfriend couldn't get you to look at her."

"She's just a friend." Alfred knew he was constantly teased about dating his girl friends, especially Elizaveta. He couldn't help it that he found it easy to talk to girls more so than guys, for some reason he couldn't put his finger on.

"Of course she is," the English boy replied sarcastically. There was an awkward pause before Arthur finally asked "well...what was so bloody important that you missed watching the greatest sport ever?"

"I guess...I just wanted to study some flying maneuvers. I just needed some advance techniques that aren't really covered in some of the books."

"Are you spying on me? Trying to learn my techniques? You want to give them to your pathetic team?"

"Hardly," Alfred claimed. He could care less about the Ravenclaw Quidditch team or winning the house cup. If it didn't have to do with getting good grades, Alfred had absolutely no interest.

"Then why are you really here, Alfred?" the Gryffindor seeker nagged, his eyebrow raised in anticipation.

"I told you I was taking notes for my NEWTs."

"Then let me see."

Alfred froze, panicking a little. He couldn't show Arthur his notes of him; especially with how detailed they were of Arthur rather than the game. "...that won't be necessary."

"Oh come on." Arthur waved his hand in the cold air. "I could even give you some pointers."

"Um...well..."

Before Alfred could escape the situation, Arthur took out his wand and gave it a small flick. "Accio notebook!"

As soon as the words were said, the notebook flew out of Alfred's hands and into Arthur's.

"Didn't think I was smart enough to know that spell, did you?" Arthur smirked with an eyebrow raised. When Alfred didn't answer (and honestly how could he?), Arthur opened the notebook to the first page.

Alfred cringed. "I'm sorry! The notes are really bad-"

"These are beautiful," he interrupted. He grazed his long fingers over the cursive letters. He was amazed at how angelic it made him sound. Even his thick eyebrows were detailed poetically. "You really do have a gift, you know."

Alfred blushed. "Thanks."

"Arthur!" the Gryffindor keeper shouted. "Manchester United wants to talk to you about recruitment."

"Okay, tell them I'll be with them in a minute." He quickly downed the rest of his red wine and turned towards Alfred. "How about you show me your notes somewhere else? I could give you some pointers, you know. Tea and scones at Hogsmede, if that's not too much time to take out of your studying?"

"No. It's not too much trouble." Alfred immediately regretted his words. He would never hear the end of this from Elizaveta.

"Great. Then it's a date."

 **To be continued...?**


End file.
